Teen to stand trial over attempted plane hijacking

The young man accused of trying to hijack a commercial flight decided to stand trial in the Supreme Court.

The teenager, now 19, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in a juvenile court on Friday and formally pleaded not guilty to the incident in March 2025.

Wearing high-vis clothing and carrying a toolbox, the teenager is alleged to have sneaked onto a Jetstar flight at Avalon Airport, south-west of Melbourne.

Court documents released to the media stated that the young man, who appeared sweaty and sweaty, told the cabin crew that he had a bomb in his bag and that he needed to get into the cockpit.

He allegedly removed parts of the shotgun from his jacket and was in the process of putting them together when other passengers and crew intervened and restrained him.

When police arrived and searched the teenager, they allegedly found a plan for a bomb scheme and a to-do list stating that he “needed to make sure all weapons were collected and stored.”

The list also said he had to “control explosives,” “wear a disguise” and “wear safety glasses,” according to the documents.

The teenager is also alleged to be in possession of a shotgun broken into three pieces, nine shotgun cartridges, three knives, three Molotov cocktails and a teddy bear.

The teenager, who was 17 at the time, was charged with eight offenses, including attempted hijacking and damaging the safe operation of an aircraft with intent to kill.

For more serious crimes, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.

The teenager’s lawyers pressed for the case to remain in juvenile court, but in June a magistrate judge ruled that the case should be taken to a higher court.

On Friday, the teenager formally pleaded guilty to all eight charges against him and was ordered to stand trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

He was remanded in custody to face a directions hearing on July 21.